Blue Diamonds
by SwarklesFan55
Summary: Story takes place/ begins between season 5 and 6. Barney and Robin broke up, but still have feelings for each other. What happens, when they get involved in an armed robbery?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story is the most popular of my german stories and I decided to translate it into English and post it here. Some of the chapters are very short. Like this one, for example. But in exchange, it won't take me long to update, because the whole story is already completely written. I hope you'll like it and thanks for your time.**

On Thursday, the 8th of July 2010, Robin Scherbatsky was sitting in the backseat of a cab and wondered for the umpteenth time, where it would take her. She looked at her cellphone.

_20 minutes._

20 minutes ago, he had called and informed her, that an already paid cab was on its way to her. He also told her an adress, Robin didn't know and hung up, before she had a chance to reply.

The cab pulled over to the curb and she saw him standing on the sidewalk. Barney Stinson, the handsome, blonde man in the suit. He never wore something else and Robin couldn't blame him for that. He really looked incredibly good in a suit. She could think of only one disadvantage and started grinning, while she remembered, that it always took her a while to get him out of the suit.

_No, Robin! No!_ , she silently scolded herself, like she used to do with her dogs.

Thoughts like this about an ex were inappropriate. But she only thought about Barney in this way. She never thought about Ted like this.

"Thank god! You're here", Barney breathed relieved, while he ripped the door open. Then he offered her his hand to help her out of the cab. Robin accepted his hand. And this friendly contact was enough to give her the familiar tingle, only Barney could give her.

As soon as she stood steadily, she pulled her hand away and laid it on her hip. She tried to look angry and annoyed and asked: "Can you now tell me, WHY I am here?"

"No."

She looked at him speechless and the usual grin appeared on his face.

"I'll show you."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him into the store, they stood in front of. Just now, Robin realized what kind of store it was.

"Barney, why did you order me to a jeweler?", she asked confused.

"I need your advice as a woman", Barney answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Robin thought of something, that made her really angry.

"I don't know, how you want to do it, but I won't help you pick out jewelry, which you can use to get laid", she told him.

It hurt enough, that he went back to one night stands and bimbos after they broke up. She wouldn't encourage him in this.

Barney looked offended for a moment, but also guilty. Then he put on a neutral expression and said: "My mom turns 60 next month."

**AN: Leave a review, if you want to.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey, there! I just couldn't wait. Here is the second chapter and it's longer, than the first one. I hope, you like it. And if not, tell me why. I would love some reviews. Have a nice day**!

Robin immediately felt guilty for her accusation. Barney could see that. Maybe it was his own fault, that she thought so poorly of him. He had let a parade of One Night Stands pass her by, so how could she know, that their break-up had been harder on him, than she thought? On the other hand, she of all people should know, that there was more to him, than the heartless womanizer, he often pretended to be. Their relationship only lasted a few month, but the entire year before, while he was secretly in love with her, he had sometimes let her see the man behind the facade.

Robin cleared her throat awkward and asked: "Do you have an idea, what you want to get her, yet?"

Barney smiled at her to break the tension and answered: "I was thinking of a set of necklace and a matching pair of earrings. Just take a look into the show cases."

Robin peered into the first case and her jaw dropped, when she saw the price tags.

"How much money do you plan to spend?", she asked him then.

"Robin we're talking about the most important woman in my life. Money is not an issue."

Robn turned her back on Barney to look into the other show cases and he exhaled relieved. Now, that she was distracted, he could look at her openly. He had always liked to do that. There had been nights, during their relationship, in which he barely slept a wink, because he loved watching her sleep so peacefully. She didn't know that, of course. That was just too cheesy to ever tell someone.

When Robin had exited the cab, Barney had felt the urge to telll her, that she was beautiful. And she didn't even wear make-up, or had styled her hair in a special way, because she didn't have time, before the cab arrived at her place.

_She is just naturally beautiful. Always._

Barney noticed, that Robin had been standing on the third show case for quite some time now and he went over to see, what she was looking at. He peered over her shoulder and saw a necklace with matching earrings. The chain and the hangers of the earrings were simple and silver. The gems were, what was special. Blue diamonds. Wth a slight tinge of green. Without having to look into Robins face, Barney knew, it was the exact same colour of her eyes.

"These are beautiful", he whispered near her ear. Robin flinched slightly, when he spoke. She didn't seem to have noticed him coming up behind her. She now turned around and he could look her in the eyes. They stood very close to each other, almost touching. Barney noticed, that he had been right about her eyes.

"They really are", she answered in the same volume. The just looked at each other for a while, before Barney shrugged.

"But I think, diamonds are too much for my mom. She tends to lose her stuff", he said.

At first, Robin looked confused, then he saw understanding on her face and in the end, something that looked like shame.

"Yeah, you... you're probably right", she stammered and went to the next show case. Barney couldn't help but smile. Robin obviously hadn't imagined the jewelry on his mom. Just like him.

The shop assistant, who had watched them, since they walked into the store looked at Barney questioningly. Barney smiled at him and nodded to the third show case. The man nodded back and Barney followed Robin to the next case.

The next ten minutes, Barney walked with Robin through the store, while she looked for jewelry for his mother. But Barney had everything he wanted. When the shop closed, the shop assistant would take the diamond set, wrap it up and charge it to his bill. Two weeks later, Barney would pick up the parcel and give it to the most important woman in his life. But that was not his mother.

He looked at Robin and smiled, while she was absorbed in the product description of a sapphire necklace. She seemingly forgot, that her birthday was in 15 days.

Suddenly, the door to the shop was pushed open roughly and dashed against the wall. Barney looked to the door and saw a tall man storming in. He wore a black ski mask, which left only his eyes open and pulled a gun out of his waistband. He shot against the ceiling and Barney pushed Robin to the ground. He then laid atop of her to shield her from the shards of the lamps.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow! So many reviews for the second chapter. Thank you all so much! And I'm very glad, this story has already so many follower. I hope, you'll like this chapter and fyi, I think, Robin is a little bit OOC in the next few chapters. I made her a little bit whiny, so Barney would seem heroic.**

"Barney!", Robin shouted, when she hit the floor. Immediately afterwards, she heard shots and he laid down on top of her, as if he was a human shield for her. He was careful not to hurt her, while he did so.

"Shhhh...", he whispered into her ear and Robin became aware of the situation and realized, how serious this was.

"Barney", she said again. She wanted it to sound strong. She wanted to tell him, that she was okay and that he could let go of her, but it came out as a sob. She hadn't even noticed, that she started crying. Barney kissed the top of her head and took her hand in his. Robin would have been surprised by this, if she wasn't so scared. But being so near him, made her feel safe. She would have liked to enjoy this feeling. But she wasn't that naive.

This man had a gun and Robin knew, that they weren't safe.

If she just had her purse with her. The 'Desert Eagle', her favorite gun, was in it. She could have disarmed and castrated this guy with only two precise gunshots.

"Robin, relax. Everything's going to be okay", Barney assured her, while stroking her hair. Maenwhile Robin watched the man with the ski mask. He pressed a few buttons on the doorframe and the shutters on the large shopwindow lowered. Afterwards he bolted the door and turned around.

All of that hadn't even taken him two minutes. During this time, all the customers had laid down on the floor.

"Okay, I tell you how it goes", the man spoke with a loud and throaty voice. "You dance to my pipe and no-one gets hurt."

He strode through the room to get an overview. When he walked by Robin and Barney, Robin quietly gasped for air and squeezed Barneys hand.

Eventually the robber shouted: "Get up, but slowly!"

The people in the shop got up, one by one.

Robin could feel Barney move away from her. He knelt next to her, still holding her hand in his and pulled her up with him. When they both stood, he put his arm around her and she she wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. He gave her support, like a personal bastion of calm.

"Line up on the wall", the man yelled his next instruction and pointed at the wall opposite the shopwindow. "Right now!"

Still holding each other, Robin and Barney padded to the wall. Robin looked at the other people in the room. There were only two shop assistants and two couples, except for them.

"Keep distance! An arm's lenght!", the man with the mask screamed.

Barney reluctantly loosened his grip on her waist. She watched in shock as he pulled her arms off of him and took two small steps to the side. He really begrudged having to let go of her hand. She could read it in his eyes, along with the plea to stay calm.

In the end, he opened his hand and pulled it away carefully. A few tears leaked out of Robins eyes and she slung her arms around herself. All of a sudden she was cold without his touch.

_Or is it the fear?_

In the meantime, the robber went to the three cash boxes, broke them and put the money into a sports bag. Now he took the jewelry from the open racks and let it disappear into the bag as well.

He turned to the door and got ready to leave, when a sob escaped Robins throat.

He turned around, looked at Robin and approached her.


	4. Chapter 4

Barney's blood ran cold, when he saw the man going straight for Robin. He looked at her. She had her face turned to him and her eyes were tightly closed, as if she hoped, the man couldn't see her if she couldn't see him.

"Ssshhhh... Everything's going to be okay", he said, while stepping closer. It didn't sound soothing, but frightening. Barney could see the goosebumps on Robin's arms, which were wrapped around her body.

"You're a really pretty, little thing", the guy said, now that he stood right in front of her.

_No!_ , Barney thought, when he lifted his hand and stroked Robin's cheek with his knuckles.

Even thought her eyes were tightly pressed together, a tear ran down her face, when his hand touched her.

Wild rage flared in Barney. This man had no right to touch Robin against her will.

An armed robbery with taking of hostages was one thing - maybe he needed the money and was desperate - but Barney wouldn't stand idly by and watch the woman he loved getting molested.

"Don't touch her", he hissed through gritted teeth. The stranger let his hand fall from Robin's cheek and turned to him.

Just now, Barney realized how tall he was. At least one head taller than himself. Even visibly taller than Marshall.

"Did you say something?", he asked intimidating.

Barney looked at Robin. She looked at him shocked and shook her head slightly, silently telling him not to provoke the other man. But Barney wouldn't cave in now. He had to appear resolute and confident.

He looked up at the man and said with a steady voice: "I told you not to lay your dirty hands on her!"

The man sneered.

"Or what?", he asked. "What's a little runt like you going to do, when I do this?"

With this words, he turned to Robin, grabbed her forearm and squeezed it.

Robin was too shocked to react. She cried out and sank to her knees, but he didn't let go of her.

Robin's scream sent adrenaline through Barney's body. Without thinking, he struck his fist against the man's jaw.

He let go of Robin, turned to Barney while rubbing his jaw and said: "That was a mistake."

He slammed his fist into Barney's face and Barney fell to the ground, while Robin gasped for air. The masked man hit Barney a few more times, injuring nose and eyes as well.

Robin was kneeling on the floor and sobbed heavily, but she couldn't look away. There just had to be something, she could do. And then she had an idea. She slipped out of her shoe and threw it into one of the show cases.

The glass shattered and, just like she hoped, the alarm system went off.

The robber paused, looked up and cursed. "Fucking hell!"

He looked down at Barney again and said: "But I'm not done with you, yet."

He pulled out a pocketknife and let the blade jump up. Barney didn't even get that anymore. But Robin had to watch, how the man drove the knife into Barney's gut and pulled the bloody blade out. She shrieked and felt a pain, as if SHE was the one, who got to feel the knife. She clapped her hands over her face and cried bitterly, while the abuser grabbed the sports bag and left the store.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Number five! Have fun while reading. Unfortunately, it's just a short chapter. A little foretaste of what's to come.**

The door thudded closed and Robin looked up. The women, that stood on her left on the wall, threw themselves into the arms of their boyfriends, the shop assistants grabbed the phones, probably to call the police and ambulance.

Robin was still crying and she just couldn't stop. Then she heard Barney groan. She crawled the few steps to him on all fours, so she was kneeling next to his head.

"Barney?", she asked quietly. He let out a groan again, but didn't open his eyes. Robin grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards herself. His head was now resting on her knees and she stroked through his hair.

"Barney, can you hear me?", she asked, louder this time.

Barneys eyelids fluttered open and he smiled, when Robin's face was the first thing he saw.

"Hey", he whispered.

Robin gasped shocked for air. His eye looked bad.

Barney wanted to move and felt a sharp abdominal pain. He looked down and froze. His shirt changed from white to red, in the middle of his abdomen. A red stain, which grew larger the more blood discharged from his wound.

Barney looked up at Robin. But she had followed his look and couldn't avert her gaze from the terrible sight anymore.

"Robin", Barney said her name softly, but she didn't react. She starred at his stomach, as if she was hypnotized and tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Even thought he felt incredibly tired, Barney lifted his hand and laid it on Robin's cheek.

"Robin, look at me!", he prompted her.

And finally, she looked away from his wound and looked him in the eyes. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, slowly and tenderly and told her smiling: "It's just a scratch."

Robin tried to smile back at him, but it came out as a paintwisted mask.

_... but it is a start._

So Barney tried his usual grin and said: "I'm just mad, because he ruined my expensive shirt."

Robin actually had to give a laugh, because it was unbelievable, that Barney could crack jokes in a situation like this.

She closed her eyes, laid her hand over his and leaned in.

Barney smiled, genuinely happy, that he managed to cheer her up. He felt really tired and was dazzled by the light.

He wanted to close his eyes, just for a moment...


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey, guys! Thanks again for the nice reviews and to all the followers. I really hurried to write this chapter to make up for the last one. This one is definitely longer. I hope you like it.**

After a while, Robin realized, that Barney stopped stroking her cheek. His hand, between hers and her cheek, felt heavy and limp.

She opened her eyes and saw, that Barney's were closed.

"Barney?"

No reaction.

"Barney, this is not funny", Robin scolded and hoped so much, that it was a bad joke.

Still, there was no reaction from Barney. No movement, no answer. Nothing.

Tears flooded Robin's eyes, which just started to dry, all over again. But she didn't want to cry anymore. She preferred rage and started to scream.

"Look at me! Talk to me! You can't leave me now! Dammit, Barney!"

_I love you._

The thought raced through Robin's head and she realized, it was the truth. She loved him.

_Why do I love him? I shouldn't! He's Barney Stinson. It ended in a disaster once and it will break my heart again._

Robin laid Barney's hand down, clapped her hands over her face and cried.

But this time, not silently. She sobbed loudly, her whole body shook and she murmured incomprehensible words.

Suddenly, there was a touch on her shoulder and she turned around startled. The blond woman instantly took a step back. Robin recognized her as the woman, that stood next to her on the wall. She obviously terrified her.

"Sorry", Robin mumbled hoarsly.

"It's okay", the blonde assured her and came closer again. "The ambulance is on the way. And he's breathing visibly. That's a good thing."

Robin looked closely at Barney's chest and saw inded how it rose and fell.

"I'm Jen", the woman introduced herself. "And this is Michael." She pointed at the man, that stood behind her and smiled carefully.

"He's a general practitioner", Jen continued "Would you mind, if he...?"

She let the question incomplete, but Robin understood. She shook her head silently and Jen looked at Michael prompting. But Michael seemed to be scared of Robin.

_No surprise_ , Robin thought. _Everyone's scared of the hysterically crying_ chick.

She looked at Jen and said: "I'm Robin." Michael now came closer, kneeled down beside Barney and took his hand to feel his pulse.

"And this is Barney", Robin said and the tears continued to flow.

Jen said down beside Robin.

"His pulse is low, but regularly", Michael explained and Robin nodded.

Right this moment, one could hear siren's wailing from outside and everyone sighed with relief, when police officers and paramedics with a stretcher came storming in.

The officers walked to the shop assistants to question them and two parademics with stretcher came to Robin. Michael informed them about Barney's condition and they carefully lifted him on the stretcher. Robin immediately missed the weight of his head on her knees and stood up slowly. Her legs felt as stiff as if she had been kneeling on the floor for hours. Then she saw, how one of the parademics put a breathing mask over Barney's face and she gasped for air. She covered her mouth with her hand and let her breath out shakily. She was sure, that she had cried more today, than in the whole last year. She followed the parademics outside and watched how they put the stretcher with Barney in the back of the ambulance.

She wanted to follow, but one of the parademics said: "I'm sorry, Miss, but you're not allowed to drive with us. We're taking him to the Lennox Hill Hospital."

Then he closed the door from inside and the ambulance drove away with wailing sirens. Robin looked after it and felt lost.

"Robin!", Jen called and Robin turned around. The blonde woman stood next to a yellow car, with Michael already behind the wheel and said: "Get in, we're driving you", and Robin gratefully accepted the offer.

The ride went by quietly and no-one said something. When the car stopped in front of the Lennox Hill Hospital, Jen turned around to look at Robin and said: "Everything's going to be okay." Robin just nodded, becaue she didn't trust her voice. She wasn't really convinced from Jen's words. Jen got out of the car to open the door for Robin. Robin got out as well.

"Thank you for everything", she said and Jen smiled encouragingly.

"Everything's going to be okay", she repeated and got into the car again.

Robin waved, turned around and headed for the building.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey, everybody! Number seven already. Leave a review, if you want to. I love to read, what you think. Have fun with this chapter!**

Robin walked to the reception counter, while she wiped off the tears from under her eyes.

_I probably look horrible._

She cleared her throat and the woman behind the counter looked up from her computer screen. Her eyes widened, when they landed on Robin.

_That confirmes my suspicion._

"My name is Robin Scherbatsky. I wanted to ask for Barney Stinson", she said.

The woman lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

"He was brought here with an ambulance. He was injured during a robbery."

Robin hardly managed to hold back the tears.

"Oh, right. Mr. Stinson", the secretary said and typed something on the computer and then answered her, with her eyes glued to the screen.

"He's still in surgery. He needed stitches."

Robin had to gulp, when she heard the word surgery. Now she nodded, left the counter and sat down on a chair in the waiting area. She took her phone out of her pants pocket and typed a message, she would send to Marshall, Lily and Ted.

She couldn't talk in this condition.

o

-_ Barney's injured and we're Lennox Hill. Pls come ASAP!_ -

o

She sent the message and exhaled. She really hoped, someone would be here soon.

o

o

o

20 minutes later, her eyes landed on a clock on the wall. Robin realized, that she had been sitting in a cab on her way to the jeweler, only two hours ago.

It's unbelievable, how much happened in these two hours.

"Robin!"

She looked up and saw Ted, Marshall and Lily coming through the door.

She was so relieved she didn't have to be alone anymore, that tears filled her eyes. The others enfolded her in a group hug.

Robin savored the proximity of her friends and after a few minutes, the tears stopped. They sat down and Ted eventually broke the silence.

"So, Robin. What happened?"

o

o

o

After Robin finished the story, Marshall spoke up.

"I heard about that." Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"I heard it on the news on the radio, half an hour ago. They have the robber on video tape and the police is looking for him."

"Oh, that's great!", Lily said. "They will most likely find him."

Ted laid his hand caringly on Robin's knee. "I'm sure, Barney will be fine", he told her. Robin nodded.

"Miss Scherbinskee?", the woman from the reception called.

"Scherbatsky", Robin corrected and hurried to the counter.

"Mister Stinson ist now accommodated in a room. He will have to stay for a while", the woman informed her.

"Can I see him?", Robin asked.

"That you have to discuss with his doctor."

"And where can I find his doctor?"

The woman pointed at a man in his fourties with dark hair, who flipped through a file.

Robin approached him from behind.

"Excuse me?", she asked and the man turned around.

"Can I help you?", he asked her.

"Yes, my name is Robin Scherbatsky and I'm here for Barney Stinson", Robin explained. "Are you treating him?"

"Yes, I do", he answered and offered her his hand. "Doctor Henderson, pleased to meet you", he said.

Robin shook his hand. "How is Barney?"

"He's stable. We just stitched up his wound. Fortunately, the knife wasn't long enough to strike an organ. But the suture could rip easily, so he needs to stay here and move as less as possible for some time", Doctor Henderson informed her.

"How long exactly?", Robin wanted to know.

"I can't tell. That depends on how long the wound needs to heal."

"Can I see him?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Scherbatsky, but he hasn't regained consciousness, yet. In this case, only the closest family and spouses are allowed in the patient's rooms.

Robin's mind raced at the spped of light.

_I have to see him. Make sure, he's fine. The doctor knows my last name, I'm not wearing a ring._

She was also aware of the fact, that her friends could hear her. But she didn't care right now.

"I'm his fiancee."

Doctor Henderson shook is head. "I'm really sorry, but according to regulation of the hospital, I can't let you enter his room."

Robin's eyes filled with tears.

"Please!", she practically begged him. "I just have to see him."

Doctor Henderson rubbed his hand over his face and scratched his chin thoughtfully. Finally he sighed and gave in.

"You've got half an hour. If he wakes up during this time, you immediately get a nurse. If not, you leave the room. And don't wake him up purposefully. He needs his rest. You willl sit on a chair and not make any troubles. Is that understood?"

Robin nodded smiling. "Thank you, Doctor Henderson. Thank you so much."

He pointed at a corridor to the left and said, "Room 217."

Robin nodded again and left in the direction of Barney's room.

When she passed by Marshall, Lily and Ted, the looked at her, with shock evidently on their faces.

They definitely overheard the whole conversation.

_I'll worry about that later._


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I don't know, why it took me so long. I really have no idea. Must have been, because the update for 'I need you' distracted me.**

**Here it goes and I hope you like it. And thank you for all the follows and favs, again.**

o

o

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Robin stood in front of room 217 and hesitated to go in.

_How does he look? Is he hooked on machines? Is he in pain?_

But then she realized, that she only had half an hour and the clock was ticking, whether she was with him, or not.

She took a breath and stepped into the room.

It was quadratic with (of course) white walls. On the wall opposite the door was a large window.

On the wall, to Robin's right stood a table with four chairs in front of it and to her left, extended into the room, stood the bed.

Robin was relieved to see, that Barney was not hooked on machines and he didn't wear the breathing mask anymore, either.

He was sleeping on his back, the blanket tucked under his arms, which lay on his sides.

There was a laceration above his right eyebrow and his left eye began to become black.

But apart from this, everything seemed fine. He slept soundly and Robin smiled relieved.

She took one of the chairs, moved it next to Barney's bed and sat down, just like the doctor told her to and watched him sleep.

He looked so peacefully, but suddenly his arm flinched. He cast his head aside, his eyebrows knitted and he groaned.

He was having a nightmare.

At first, Robin didn't know what to do. Then she just grabbed his hand and stroked it soothingly.

"Shhhh... Everything's okay, Barney", she whispered. "You're safe now and I'm here. I'm here for you and you're not alone anymore."

Barney sighed in his sleep and his body relaxed again. But Robin didn't let go of his hand.

_I don't want to ever let go again_ , she thought to herself.

But she knew, that she had to, eventually.

She didn't want to love him. It just hurt to much. But she couldn't help it.

_How could I not realize it until now? Why didn't I see it sooner? I guess, I never stopped loving him, after our break-up._

After about ten minutes, his hand moved again. It closed atound hers and Barney opened his eyes, slowly and blinking.

Tears of relief filled Robin's eyes. He finally woke up.

"Hey", she said, just like he had done it, when he had opened his eyes in the jewelry.

He smiled at her for a second, before his smile turned into a frown and he asked: "What's going on, Robin?"

"You... You're in hospital", Robin stammered. "Don't you remember? The robbery. And you got stabbed and lost consciousness, and..."

Barney laid his second hand on top of hers, which shut Robin up. She looked at her hand, between his, and he said: "I remember that, but I mean, what are you doing here?"

"I... I'm waiting for you to wake up", she answered truthfully, not meeting his eyes.

"So, you're okay?", he asked, to be sure and Robin nodded. Barney sighed relieved and Robin remembered, what the doctor told her.

"Barney, I have to get a nurse now, but first, there's something you have to know. Are you perceptive?", she asked him.

Barney nodded smiling.

"They didn't want to let me see you, because you hadn't regained consciousness. Only closest family and spouses allowed. So... I told the doctor, we were engaged, so he would let me see you."

Barney eyes widened in surprise.

He would have never thought to hear the word "engaged" related to him and Robin, again.

_She doesn't even seem to be that opposited to the idea_ , he thought to himself. _Maybe, there's still hope._

She looked nervous, when she asked: "Would you play along?"

He just had to tease her a little bit. So he squeezed her hand and answered sweetly: "Of course, peachy pie!"

"Oh, god! Flugelhorn!", Robin shouted. "What was I thinking?", she then murmured to herself.

Barney smiled at her use of their old codeword, from the time, they were a couple. He pulled at her hand to get her attention and when she looked at him, he answered earnestly: "Okay, I'll play along. Now, go, get a nurse, before we get in trouble."

She stood up and said: "The gang is here, too. I'll get them, now that you're awake.

She grinned and continued: "As soon as the nurse is gone, we have to tell them the truth, that we're not really engaged. I think, Lily had a heart attack, when they heard me tell the doctor, I was your fiancee."

She left the room and Barney closed his eyes, smiling to himself.

_My fiancee. Yeah, that sounds right._


	9. Chapter 9

Robin left Barney's room and went to the nurses' station, which was on the way to the waiting area. She knocked on the door and opened it afterwards. A young nurse was sitting on a desk and looked up at her.

"Hello, I'm Barney Stinson's fiancee", Robin said.

_The more often I say it, the more naturally it feels._

"I'm supposed to let you know, when he's awake."

The nurse smiled at her friendly.

"Thank you. I will check on him in a moment."

Robin nodded, closed the door and continued her way into the entrace hall.

The others sat on chairs, their backs turned on her, and didn't see her coming.

"Hey", Robin said and they turned around.

"He's awake", she informed them with a bis smile on her face.

Ted, Marshall and Lily sighed relieved and followed Robin, who was already on her way back to Barney's room.

In front of the door, Lily grabbed Robin's arm, so the brunette turned to her.

"Robin, what you told the doctor..."

"I'll explain it later", Robin interrupted her. "No word, as long as the nurse is in the room."

With that, she opened the door and entered.

The bedhead was raised and the young nurse took Barney's blood pressure.

He looked up and smiled, when he saw Robin and the others. Robin smiled back at him, but the rest of them seemed confused and Ted looked back and forth between him and Robin.

_Obviously, Robin didn't tell them about the fake-engagement,_ he thought.

Robin came closer and sat down on the chair next to his bed. Barney smiled, grabbed Robin's hand and stroked it's back with his thumb.

He did it to 15% as a show for the nurse. She smiled and seemed touched.

He did it to 15% to baffle their friends. He could see their mouth fall open out of the corners of his eyes.

But he did it to 70%, because he wanted it. It felt incredibly good to hold her hand.

Robin played along. She smiled fondly at him, but she didn't have to fake it.

She smiled, because she was glad, that he was okay. And because he held her hand.

The nurse wrote Barney's values down in a file, nodded them goodbye and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, hell broke loose.

"Oh my god! You guys are getting married!", Lily screamed.

" I, I, I can't believe it. Ha-how did this happen?", Marshall stammered.

"How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell us?", Ted asked.

Robin stood up, walked up to them and hissed: "Pssst! I told you, I would explain it later."

She waited until everybody was quiet, before she continued.

"We aren't really engaged."

Ted and Marshall looked very confused, while Lily seemed to be especially disappointed.

"You heard the doctor", Robin explained. "I'm not wearing a ring, I don't have the same last name, so I couldn't tell him, I was Barney's wife or sister."

Finally understation dawned on their faces. They sighed because of the excitement, while nodding.

"You were just so convincing. That was worth an 'Oscar' !", Ted told Robin impressed.

"Almost as good as you, Barney, when you're picking up women", Marshall said laughing.

"I even think she managed to cry, when she was begging the doctor to see you, even though she was 'only your fiancee' ", Ted said, while making quotation marks in the air, laughing now too.

Robin didn't want to admit, that she really has been crying, because she had been desperate to see him. So she decided to play along.

"Well, I guess, I learned that from Barney."

"What are you going to do now?", Lily spoke up.

Robin shrugged and answered: "Guess, we have to play a lovey-dovey couple, until Barney's released."

"In two weeks", Barney threw in and everybody looked at him questioningly.

"The nurse said, that's how long a wound of this size ordinary needs to heal", he explained.

"Uuhm, you know", Marshall said. "You could also pretend to break up."

"Oh no, no. It won't be necessary. What are two weeks? That's not a problem", Robin answered and Barney was relieved.

If they pretended to break up, she wouldn't be able to visit him, during the two weeks of his stay.

The thought of fourteen days without Robin made him feel sick in his stomach.

_But why does Robin not want to pretend to break up? , _he wondered._ Why did she even want to see me, after everything she had been put through because of me? None of this would have happened, if I didn't ask her to meet me._


	10. Chapter 10

Robin sat back down on the chair next to Barney's bed. Ted, Lily and Marshall pulled up the other chairs from under the table and took a seat.  
Then the door openend and Doctor Henderson walked into the room. Robin quickly grabbed Barney's hand and, fortunately, the doctor didn't notice.

"Mr. Stinson, it's nice to see, you're enjoying your visit." He offered Barney his hand and went on: "My name is Doctor Henderson. I'm responsible for you, during your stay here."  
Barney shook the doctor's hand, who then nodded at Robin. "Miss Scherbatsky." Afterwards, he shook hands with Ted, Marshall and Lily, turned back to Barney and said: "If you're in pain or need anything, just press the button on the wall to call a nurse. Well, I'll leave you alone again."  
He nodded again and left the room.  
Lily, Marshall and Ted said their good-byes a few moments later, but Robin wanted to stay a while longer.

3 minutes later, Robin discovered, she was still holding Barney's hand and hastily pulled hers away without looking in Barney's direction. While doing so, her sleeve slipped a little bit and Barney couldn't believe what he saw.  
"Wait a sec", he said and grabbed her wrist. He carefully pushed her sleeve up and almost gasped in shock, when he saw the bruise on Robin's forearm.  
The masked man had big hands. The mark went around her whole arm.  
Barney pressed his finger into it, testing, and Robin flinched, pulled free from Barney's grasp and pulled her sleeve back down.

Barney pressed his eyes and lips shut for a moment, before whispering: "You lied to me, Robin."  
"What do you mean?", she asked confused.  
"You told me, you were okay", he said and Robin remembered the conversation they've had after he woke up.  
"I am okay. Barney, it's just a bruise."

But Barney had seen her flinch in pain. He straightened up a little bit and pressed the button on the wall, left from his bed, without Robin noticing.  
Not even one minute later, the young nurse walked into the room and Robin once again reached for Barney's hand. He held her hand tightly in his, fearing she would soon want to let go.

"Do you have a pain, Mr. Stinson?", the nurse asked. Barney shook his head.  
"No, but my fiancee needs some of the pain balm, you put on my stitches earlier", Barney explained.  
"Barney, no. I don't need that!", Robin hissed at him.

Barney pushed the sleeve up again, so the nurse could see Robin's bruise. Her eyes widened, but she kept quiet. She walked to a medicine cabinet, which was pending on the wall above the table, and took out a red and white striped tube. Barney reached his hand out and she gave it to him. He pressed some of the balm on his fingers and started to spread it on Robin's arm.

She clenched her teeth in pain and Barney talked gently to her.  
"I don't want you to hurt. I feel bad enough. Knowing, what you went through because of me."  
He sounded so sincere and Robin didn't want him to put the blame on himself.  
"What happened isn't your fault, Barney", she told him.  
"You wouldn't have been there, if it wasn't for me. And if I hadn't provoked that jerk, he wouldn't have hurt you."  
"If one of us is to blame, it's me", Robin whispered in protest and Barney looked questioning at her.

"He would have just left, if I had been quieter. You wouldn't have defended me and he wouldn't have attacked you", Robin explained, while a lump formed in her throat. "Why did you even do that? You could have died!"

Barney wiped a tear from her cheek and said: "I guess, I didn't think. And I just didn't care. I think, I would have done anything to stop him from touching you."

Robin looked shocked. He sounded so incredibly honest.  
_He's just saying that for the nurse_ , she told herself, but that didn't stop new tears from coming to her eyes.  
Robin felt exhausted and leaned forwards until her head came to rest on Barney's chest. She cried quietly, while he stroked her hair and the nurse slipped out of the room.


End file.
